Opalesque Industry Update: Managed futures gained 1.11% in April according to the Barclay CTA Index compiled by BarclayHedge. The Index is up 2.11% year to date.

“Rising prices for equities and debt securities were fueled by central bank easing, and coupled with falling commodity prices driven by weak economic data out of China, served as the backdrop for CTA performance in April,” says Sol Waksman, founder and president of BarclayHedge.

Overall performance was mixed in April, with five of Barclay’s eight CTA indices making gains, while three indices lost ground. The Financial & Metal Traders Index gained 1.47%, Systematic Traders were up 1.21%, and Diversified Traders gained 1.20%.

“Portfolios with exposure to a preponderance of the major futures sectors were in the best position to profit from the trading opportunities available in April,” says Waksman.

On the losing side, Currency Traders gave up 0.50%, Agricultural Traders lost 0.26%, and Discretionary Traders were down 0.22%.